Summer 2019 Transfer Thread

[Brownie]

22 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Coutinho doesn't even play midfield for Barcelona and they're one of the few sides you'd expect would use a physically weak attacking midfielder in central midfield. Fact is, he's just not a very good midfielder. Plus, he's so careless with the ball, unlike other smaller and weaker midfielders like David Silva. We'd get countered far easier with Coutinho in midfield.

 

If we were to take him back, I'd put him on the left with Mane or Salah up front and the other on the right and Firmino is behind or on the bench, but this is all moot because we wouldn't buy him back anyway. 

He was regularly very good for us as a midfielder.

[3 Stacks]

14 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

No we wouldn't. 

Great analysis. Full of detailed and considered argumentation. 

[TheHowieLama]

See post above

[polymerpunkah]

Which player out there turns Premier League ties into wins?

 

 

[3 Stacks]

12 minutes ago, Brownie said:

He was regularly very good for us as a midfielder.

He was productive there, no doubt. We blew away a few minnows in the dozen or so games with him playing centrally but we also dispatched the shite of the league this season as well. About as well as anyone could expect. 

 

Could you count on him in midfield against the very best in the league and in the knockout stages and beyond of the Champions League? The answer is probably no, as we haven't seen it. We saw it in 13-14 at times but he's not the same player at all anymore and those were very different circumstances. 

 

There are better fits out there than Coutinho for this side. 

[TheHowieLama]

7 minutes ago, polymerpunkah said:

Which player out there turns Premier League ties into wins?

 

 

Jordan Pickford

[Brownie]

3 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

He was productive there, no doubt. We blew away a few minnows in the dozen or so games with him playing centrally but we also dispatched the shite of the league this season as well. About as well as anyone could expect. 

 

Could you count on him in midfield against the very best in the league and in the knockout stages and beyond of the Champions League? The answer is probably no, as we haven't seen it. We saw it in 13-14 at times but he's not the same player at all anymore and those were very different circumstances. 

 

There are better fits out there than Coutinho for this side. 

We’ve never seen it so the answer is no? Not very logical that.

 

I wouldn’t play him centrally in all games, it would mostly be against the deep lying sides. He’s proven to be able to unlock the door and he can also bang them in from 25 yards.

 

He’d allow us to rest the front three. I genuinely see no downside to it.

[aRdja]

53 minutes ago, Brownie said:

He was regularly very good for us as a midfielder.

He really wasn’t. He was a brilliant attacker, arguably best in the league at one point, but he was always a mediocre midfielder.

[Bjornebye]

Based on his ability alone I would have him back as cover for the front 3. I genuinely wouldn't have any swinging dick over our front 3. Even Messi or Mbappe. Our front 3 are fucking boss. mane is boss. Sarah is boss. Bobby is just fucking boss. Amazing. 

[Thoth]

8 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Based on his ability alone I would have him back as cover for the front 3. I genuinely wouldn't have any swinging dick over our front 3. Even Messi or Mbappe. Our front 3 are fucking boss. mane is boss. Sarah is boss. Bobby is just fucking boss. Amazing. 

Sarah is amazing isn’t she

[Bjornebye]

3 minutes ago, Thoth said:

Sarah is amazing isn’t she

Even with the beard 

[TheHowieLama]

MO SARAH

 

Wunning down da wing

[Lee909]

1 hour ago, Brownie said:

He was regularly very good for us as a midfielder.

 

15 minutes ago, viRdjil said:

He really wasn’t. He was a brilliant attacker, arguably best in the league at one point, but he was always a mediocre midfielder.

Brownie is right. 

In Rodgers run at the title he was brilliant in midfield. Rodgers had him in the midfield 3 Gerrard deep and Hendo and Coutinho behind and had Sterling as the 10 behind Suarez and Sturridge. 

 

We have plenty of games at home and more and more awaywhen the opposition  are happy to camp out there own box. Having Virg and Gomez with there pace and Fabinho as the 6 would give us plenty of liscene to play a Coutinho type in the midfield with say Henderson. 

 

It's not going to happen anyway. Reckon he's nailed on for Chelsea or PSG

[aRdja]

4 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

Brownie is right. 

In Rodgers run at the title he was brilliant in midfield. Rodgers had him in the midfield 3 Gerrard deep and Hendo and Coutinho behind and had Sterling as the 10 behind Suarez and Sturridge. 

 

We have plenty of games at home and more and more awaywhen the opposition  are happy to camp out there own box. Having Virg and Gomez with there pace and Fabinho as the 6 would give us plenty of liscene to play a Coutinho type in the midfield with say Henderson. 

 

It's not going to happen anyway. Reckon he's nailed on for Chelsea or PSG

He was always good going forward but it’s no coincidence that we as a team were poor defensively. He’s not metronomic enough to be an elite midfielder, but you wouldn’t want him to be, because as an attacker he’s one of the best in the world. Having said that, I still want him back. Play him as an AML against weaker teams in a 4-2-3-1, and rotate with the rest of the front three in a 4-3-3 against the better teams.

[joe_fishfish]

Why bother with Coutinho when we could get Max Kruse on a free?

[Lee909]

We were not good defensively but what do you expect with a back 5 of Mingolet in goal Flanagan and Johnson at fullback and Skrtel and either Agger/Toure with Gerrard in front of them. 

 

It's hardly close to what we have now and was nothing to do with Coutinho or any of the front 3. The metronomic comment doesn't make much sense in our set up either. Our midfield is about pressing, pressure and getting the ball and driving forward at pace. It's not about having a City like midfield to kill the game after being a goal up. Having a Coutinho, Fekir type to pick the ball up as the most attacking player and driving straight at the back 4 is what we lacked at times. We need a midfielder who can hit shots from deep. It will stop teams dropping off. Make them have to step up to close the midfield down and you open more space for the front three 

[Pureblood]

Am told that Klopp has no interest in reuniting with Coutinho.  The affable German feels let down by the manner of the diminutive Brazilian's departure. 

[Boss]

1 hour ago, 3 Stacks said:

Could you count on him in midfield against the very best in the league and in the knockout stages and beyond of the Champions League? The answer is probably no, as we haven't seen it. We saw it in 13-14 at times but he's not the same player at all anymore and those were very different circumstances. 

 

There are better fits out there than Coutinho for this side. 

 

We have seen it, many times. We've seen him score goals against Dortmund and United in high pressure European games. Against Chelsea away under Mourinho and at home against City in 2013-2014 when we needed to win desperately. He always showed up in big games. 

[Josef Svejk]

Diminutive Brazilian.

[Pureblood]

Just now, Josef Svejk said:

Diminutive Brazilian.

 Yes, that's what I was told. 

[Boss]

Some scary reports that we're after Ryan Fraser.

[3 Stacks]

8 minutes ago, Boss said:

 

We have seen it, many times. We've seen him score goals against Dortmund and United in high pressure European games. Against Chelsea away under Mourinho and at home against City in 2013-2014 when we needed to win desperately. He always showed up in big games. 

Not in midfield, which is what this discussion is about. I've never said he's not a very good player who is good at a lot of things. I don't think he's a great or even very good midfielder, though. 

[3 Stacks]

4 minutes ago, Boss said:

Some scary reports that we're after Ryan Fraser.

I think Fraser would make a lot of sense. Genuinely one of the most creative players in world football this season that someone will get on a discount because his contract is ending next summer. Nothing wrong with that. Only 25 as well. 

[Brownie]

15 minutes ago, viRdjil said:

He was always good going forward but it’s no coincidence that we as a team were poor defensively. He’s not metronomic enough to be an elite midfielder, but you wouldn’t want him to be, because as an attacker he’s one of the best in the world. Having said that, I still want him back. Play him as an AML against weaker teams in a 4-2-3-1, and rotate with the rest of the front three in a 4-3-3 against the better teams.

When he played in midfield his job was to get on the ball and pull strings, not to win the ball back (he was actually good at pressing though to be fair).

 

I absolutely loved him in midfield, even more so than when he played on the left.

[3 Stacks]

12 minutes ago, Brownie said:

When he played in midfield his job was to get on the ball and pull strings, not to win the ball back (he was actually good at pressing though to be fair).

 

I absolutely loved him in midfield, even more so than when he played on the left.

I find it weird when people say Coutinho was "pulling strings". He'd create chances, but he wouldn't really help us keep the ball or obtain control in games. David Silva and Bernardo Silva "pull strings". They conserve the ball, never lose it, cycle it around. That's why they've been great midfielders.

 

If someone's best attribute is to create chances and score goals, you'd want them close to the goal, especially if they're not good defensively or don't have great workrate. That's why Coutinho has been a forward or winger for the very large part of his career. 

 

I just can't agree. He's not a very good midfielder against most opposition.